REMAIN IN MY LOVE

REMAIN IN MY LOVE

It is inevitable to discover that the Gospel message of last Sunday continues in the Gospel message of this Sunday (Jn 15, 9-17), Jesus insists on telling us that the Father and He are still waiting for us to bear fruit, because at the same time to be united to Him the life of the Spirit of God is in us and it is this Spirit who guides us and allows us to act according to the will of God.

What are the expected fruits? At least in the light of the gospels, it seems that two very specific fruits would immediately be expected of us, which does not mean that they are unique: peace and love.

Peace is the first one we mention because precisely this has been the greeting of the resurrected Christ throughout Easter: “Peace be with you.” Jesus knows well that it is his peace that is so missing in the lives of many. And the second fruit is love itself. Jesus does not negotiate what he says about love, he never qualifies it, he never dilutes it to make love something less committed. Love commands, because love is in itself a command. Christ is very categorical about things that refer to love. Love is the truth that dwells in God, for God is love. Jesus Christ is loved by the Father and the Father loves the Son. Jesus Christ loves everyone that the Father has given him, and that is why he has come to serve us, giving us new life with his Life.

The love that God expects of us is that we love each other with a deep commitment to the truth and the well-being of our neighbors. God expects everything from us through love, we cannot offer God a half-hearted love, because he who has discovered the secret of love knows well that love is giving everything for those we love, as Christ himself has done for us.

Fr. Carlos Flores, OSA